Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Acquires 48,002 Shares of Morgan Stanley $MS

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management increased its Morgan Stanley stake by 5.2% in the third quarter, adding 48,002 shares to reach 967,417 shares, valued at about $182 million.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $214.81; ratings are mixed, including 13 Holds and one Sell.
• Morgan Stanley beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $3.03 in earnings per share and $20.34 billion in revenue. It also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.15 per share.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 5.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 967,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 48,002 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.06% of Morgan Stanley worth $181,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 143.4% during the 2nd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 55.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 137 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 297.4% in the 2nd quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 151 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. 84.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MS has been the topic of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (down from $250.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley from $243.00 to $195.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $214.81.

Morgan Stanley Stock Performance

Shares of MS opened at $181.65 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $286.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58. The business's 50 day moving average is $195.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $194.31. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $152.80 and a 52-week high of $232.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.93 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 19.26%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is 36.51%.

Key Headlines Impacting Morgan Stanley

Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC traders named Morgan Stanley among their “final trades,” citing strong earnings and outlooks. Morgan Stanley, Chubb and CF Industries: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun using the DTCC’s tokenization service for U.S. equities and Treasuries. The move positions the bank in emerging blockchain market infrastructure, though reports provide no detail on expected revenue or near-term financial impact. What Could Morgan Stanley (MS) Tokenization Mean For Its Role In Markets?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness in Morgan Stanley shares was described as part of a broad market selloff that dragged down major banks, with no company-specific news identified. The bank’s exposure to trading and dealmaking could make it sensitive if market activity cools. Morgan Stanley Sinks 6%, Goldman Down 6%, Citi Down 5% as Market Selloff Drags Wall Street Banks

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services company that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.

Its Institutional Securities business offers services such as financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and research. The company also provides financial planning, brokerage and banking services through its Wealth Management business, while its Investment Management business offers investment strategies and portfolio management to a range of clients.

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley serves clients in the United States and across international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.